Eagles, Wolverines take aim at football playoffs

Membership in Region 8-A has barely changed since 2002 - and its yearly football results haven't changed much, either.

The same three teams - Athens Academy, Commerce and Social Circle - have taken three of the four playoff spots from the region each year since 2002.

Jefferson claimed the fourth spot each season between 2002 and 2007 before moving up to Class AA last year.

Region 8-A traded Jefferson for Wesleyan, now the defending Class A champion, so life hasn't gotten any easier for the teams below the usual top four.

With programs like Athens Christian and Prince Avenue Christian growing stronger, however, the top four in Region 8-A might not be a foregone conclusion much longer.

"Our time will come," Prince Avenue Christian coach Mark Farriba said. "Of course I would like for it to be sooner rather than later. It is just a matter of time."

Athens Christian and Prince Avenue Christian are two of the younger programs in the region.

The Wolverines started their football program in 2005 and first played a 10-game season in 2006.

The Eagles program started in 1989 and returned to region play only last season. They also have a new coach - Bill Forman - for the first time in 14 seasons.

"I feel like I went from the (Southeastern Conference) of Class AAAAA to the SEC of Class A," said Forman, who was the assistant head coach at South Forsyth before coming to Athens. "Everybody has athletes."

Both teams have made enough progress in recent years to be a legitimate threat for one of those four playoff spots that have seemed so secure in the hands of the regulars.

The Eagles haven't been to the playoffs since 1996. Forman believes his players are taking the right steps and filling in the holes to make a return.

"The biggest thing for me was building the team in the offseason," Forman said. "That means bringing in a strength program, lifting year round, training hard. That makes that fourth quarter not seem so bad."

Adding confidence and raising expectations are additional steps Forman hopes to make this season.

"I've been in those programs that expect to win," he said. "(Former coach Van Beacham) did a great job building a program. There is a lot of pride here. It takes a while to build that."

The number of players in Prince Avenue Christian's program has increased each year since its inception. The Wolverines' 5-5 record in 2007 is the school's best. They went 3-6-1 last season, but played close games against region opponents Athens Christian and Commerce.

Each of those seasons, Farriba thought his team had the potential to reach the playoffs. The biggest obstacle, he said, was playing programs with decades more experience and an obvious mental edge.

"They know (reaching the playoffs) is possible because they have done it," Farriba said of the other teams in Region 8-A. "They have some tradition, some experience at that level. ... Our program has grown in a lot of ways. There are a lot of factors we are trying to address."

Both coaches set a goal for their team to reach the postseason this year - "If you aren't trying to make it to the playoffs, why are you working so hard?" Forman asked - but they both know a lot can happen.

If one or both were to reach the playoffs, they might lose the only advantage they have over the more established teams.

"I've been on a team that had a target on its chest," Forman said. "I'd rather fly under the radar."